Kia is a big car company and has many cars under its chart like the Forte sedan, Sportage SUV, Sorento SUV, Sedona MPV, K5 sedan, Rio Hatchback, Rio sedan, Telluride SUV, Stringer sports sedan, Rio 5 crossover, Cerato sedan, and Niro crossover SUV but Kia is only offering a fraction of their collection in India.
According to a recent report, Kia is planning to launch two cars in India in 2023 one of which is the new Carnival MPV and the second one is the Sorento SUV. Both the cars have been imported into India and are at Kia’s plant in Andhra Pradesh. Kia is likely to introduce these cars at the 2023 Auto Expo. The launch of the new Carnival is overdue and the Sorento launch in India is yet to be confirmed by the company.
Kia Carnival is a luxury MPV with automated sliding doors. Carnival has ample space inside to give maximum comfort to all body sizes. It also carries many modern features to make the drive easy and relaxing. Talking about the engine, this MPV comes with a sole 2.2-liter diesel engine that produces 197 bhp of power and 440 Nm of torque. This engine comes mated with a single option 8-speed automatic transmission.
Kia Carnival can be used as a chauffeur-driven car or as a big family car because the Carnival gets multiple seating configurations. You can go for a 6 and 7-seater layout version with 3 rows of seating or you can buy the 9-seater layout version with 4 rows of seating if you have a big family to travel with. The current model of Carnival available in India is the 3rd iteration of the MPV. The 4th iteration model is available in some global markets and despite being two years of its launch Kia is yet to update the Indian Carnival models. The 4th iteration of Carnival is known as ‘Sedona’ in other global markets.
The new model of Carnival is way more stylish and attractive than the current Indian model. It has a boxier design with a big SUV-like look. The interior is also updated and it’s now more luxurious than before with many new tech and features. After the launch in India, the new Carnival will grab a lot of attention.
Kia Sorento is a 7-seater SUV that shares its platform and powertrains with the Hyundai Santa Fe. The measurements of the SUV are – 4,810mm in length, 1,900mm in width, 1,700mm in height, and 2,815mm in wheelbase. The main difference between Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento is that the Sorento comes with 7 seats and the Hyundai Santa Fe only gets 5 seats.
The Hyundai Santa Fe is discontinued in India with Sonata due to the low sales but the India version of Santa Fe used to have a 7-seating layout. The Kia Sorento, if launched in India, will compete with the SUVs like Fortuner and entry-level Luxury SUVs like BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and Audi Q3.
Talking about the engine of the Kia Sorento the European version of Sorento gets two engine options – a 1.6-liter turbo petrol and a 2.2-liter diesel. The petrol engine gets 2 more options – a self-charging mild hybrid tech and a proper plug-in hybrid powertrain. The price of the European Sorento starts at 49,495 EUR (Rs. 40.5 lakh) for the diesel variant. The mild hybrid variant price starts at 50,995 EUR (Rs. 45 lakh) and the PHEV powertrain variant costs 56,995 EUR (Rs. 50 lakh). The launch details of the Sorento in India are likely to be revealed at the 2023 Auto Expo.
